Chapter Exchange
San Diego Chapter: (left to right) Renowned courtroom illustrator Bill Robles and District Judge Larry Alan Burns unveil at the State of the District event an illustration of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California’s 17 district judges.
NINTH CIRCUIT San Diego Chapter The San Diego Chapter rounded the corner on a year that presented not only many challenges but also new opportunities for the chapter to serve its members and community. By harnessing videoconference technology, the chapter’s events continued to reach a wide audience and keep the legal community informed, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. In September 2020, the San Diego Chapter presented the 16th Annual Judith N. Keep Federal Civil Practice Seminar. In the virtual sessions, over 1,250 attendees heard from three circuit judges, six district judges, and three magistrate judges on topics such as expert witnesses, professionalism, and appellate practice during the pandemic.
In November 2020, nearly 300 people attended the chapter’s 2020 Supreme Court Case Review, featuring renowned scholar and educator Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of Berkeley Law. The chapter also partnered with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California to host the court’s annual State of the District event. Community members watched virtually as the court’s leadership shared updates on operations during the pandemic and presented criminal defense attorney Charles H. Adair with the Hon. David H. Bartick Award for Civility and Professionalism. The court also posthumously honored Bruce C. Smith, an assistant U.S. attorney, and Peter C. Mazza, the chapter’s former president, with the same award. Both were public servants and exemplary attorneys whose untimely deaths
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shocked the legal community. In December 2020, the San Diego Chapter presented the capstone of its three-part series on civility in the law, which averaged over 100 attendees. Titled Promoting Civility in the Legal Profession, the webinar featured leaders of the legal community who shared how the profession can foster civility among practitioners. The San Diego Chapter continued its mission into the new year by assisting with the Southern District’s Passing of the Gavel as Chief Judge from Hon. Larry Alan Burns to Hon. Dana M. Sabraw. And, to close out January 2021, the chapter presented How to Apply to be a U.S. District Judge, a webinar where a distinguished panel shared advice on the application process for the position.
